Nothing's Easy about Happily Ever After
by Atrilial
Summary: Hitomi has hopes for her happily ever after with Van, but no one ever said that happily ever after was easy. This story starts one year after Hitomi has gone back to Earth. Pairings: VH, MillernaDryden, AllenEries, YukariAmano & others. R&R please!
1. Dangerous Distraction

Alright, here you go guys! The first chapter of my first Esca flick. I love Esca. Please R&R and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, nor any of its characters…sob…

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It had been one year since Hitomi had returned to Earth, the Mystic Moon, and she was now in her second year of high school. As she walked towards the track field, she reached out in her mind, seeking the comfortable, familiar presence that was always nearby. 

'Van?' her mind reached out questioningly. He responded almost immediately.

'Yes, Hitomi?'

'Where are you right now?'

His warm chuckle drifted through her mind. 'Pretending I am listening to my advisor's ramblings. It never fails to amaze me how greatly they concentrate on petty issues when there is still so much work to be done in getting Fanalia back on its feet. Granted, it has come a long way in a short period of time, but it still is far from complete.'

'Exciting,' she commented sarcastically, mirth ringing in her voice. She felt rather sorry for him. 'I just got out of class and I am on my way over to the track field to train.' Suddenly, Hitomi heard a voice calling her.

"Hitomi!" Yukari called out to her, Amano being dragged behind her. She smiled. They made a cute couple. She was happy that they were finally together. She turned back to her mental conversation.

'Van, I have to go now. My friend is coming. I'll talk to you later tonight, right?'

'Of course,' he smiled, 'I love talking to you.'

'Later then.'

'Bye.'

With that, she turned her attention back to her two rapidly approaching friends.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

Yukari smiled. "We were just trying to catch up to you. You seemed really spaced. Are you ok?" Hitomi blushed a little. She did not realize that she was paying that little attention to her surroundings. That was the danger of communicating with Van in public, but she loved his company so dearly that she often risked it.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Come on. Let's get to the track field."

As she warmed up, Hitomi once again realized just how grateful she was for her mental connection with Van. She would have been so lonely if she had had no link to him. When she had first returned home the connection between them had been a weak one and had been difficult to use. As they grew accustomed to it, though, they had learned to control it better. Now they where connected so closely that she could even feel him touching her at times. One of the most amazing discoveries was when Van had realized he could enter her dreams when they were both asleep. For some reason, their connection was strongest then. He would often spend all night just holding her in their dreams and talking about everything and nothing at all. It was so intimate and sweet. She knew she loved him deeply, and she thought he loved her too, but she could not be sure. He never had actually told that he loved, nor did he ever kiss her. Now though, she assumed, and wanted to believe, that is was only because he wanted the first time to be real, in the flesh. That and, for all his rashness and hotheadedness, he was undeniably shy when it came to her in many ways. Oh well.

She shrugged her thoughts off for the moment and crouched, ready to run. As she took off, she reveled at the feeling of running, the wind whipping around her. It almost felt like she was flying again. Oh how she missed being wrapped in his arms, flying with him. She would never grow tired of those beautiful wings of his. He was her angel.

Hitomi got home later that night, already thoroughly exhausted. She forced herself to stay awake, however, and pressed through her homework. After a while, her mind started to wander back to Van again, as it often did as of late. Even when she had left a year ago, she had harbored a desire in her heart to return someday. But for now, she had to finish high school and Van, she was sure, was preoccupied with his own duties. She hoped that he would want her back. Three years was a long time to wait, and she did not even know for sure that he really loved her. Even if he did, would he still love her in two more years when he had gone so long without her? She knew that she would never stop loving him. She hoped that he would want her back.

Sighing, she looked back down at her paper and rolled her eyes at herself. She had written Hitomi Slanzar de Fanel all over her page with little hearts around it. How much of a love sick schoolgirl could she be? Deciding that she was not going to get anything more done tonight, she changed into her pajamas, turned out the light, and crawled into bed. As she started drifting off, she heard his soft voice whisper to her fading mind.

'See you in our dreams.'

She fell asleep with a light smile on her face. After a moment, she saw scenery start to form. She stood upon a grassy hill that overlooked part of what she instantly recognized as Fanalia, but not the Fanalia as she had known it. Rather, this was the new, still growing and rebuilding, Fanalia. It was a beautiful view. Two warm, strong arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind. She smiled at his presence and leaned into his comforting embrace.

"It's amazing, Van. Is this what it looks like now?" she asked as she craned her head around to get a look at his gentle face and tender cinnamon red eyes. He smiled at her softly and held her tighter.

"Yes, this is one of my favorite spots to escape to when I need to get away from my advisors and responsibilities for a little while. When I was here earlier today, I committed it to memory so that I could show it to you now." He guided her over to a spot on the grass, and they sat down next to each other. He never relinquished his hold on her. Contently, she leaned her head against his shoulder, and he rested his head on hers.

"I miss you, Van," she said softly.

"As I miss you, Hitomi," he murmured, holding her a little tighter. They spent the rest of the night that way, clinging to each other and talking about everything on their minds.

Hitomi was reluctant to wake up when her alarm went off the next morning. She hated having to leave him. Begrudgingly, she climbed out of bed and began to get ready for school. How crazy all her friends would think her if she told them that she had fallen in love with a king from another planet and met with him in her dreams each night. She laughed softly at the thought. She had never told anyone of her adventures. Not even Yukari. She just did not know how to bring it up. "Oh yeah, by the way, last year I went to the world called Gaea, fell head over heals in love with a king, and help win a war against a man who was probably formerly Isaac Newton." Yeah, that was sure to go over well.

Hitomi met up with Yukari and they walked to school together, eventually joining up with Amano along the way. School went as normal as did track meet. After track was over, Yukari invited her to join her and Amano for ice cream. Hitomi smiled.

"No thank you, Yukari. I have homework I need to catch up on. Besides," she winked at her friend, "I'm sure you wanted to spend some time alone with him."

Yukari blushed, and Hitomi giggled before giving her friend a hug and starting home. As she walked, she decided to see if she could connect with Van again. Reaching into her mind, she called out to him.

'Van?' After a moment, she got a tired response from him.

'Yes, Hitomi?' Concerned, Hitomi questioned him.

'Are you all right, Van? You sound worn out.' She could here him sigh in her mind.

'I am. I have been filling out paper work on every topic imaginable for the last three hours, and the pile does not look any smaller than when I started.' He sighed wearily again and she felt a pang of sympathy for him.

'Do you need me to leave you to your work then?' she asked. It took him a moment to respond, and she assumed that he was trying to decide if he could afford stopping for a short while or not.

'No, no, I could use a short break. My concentration is shot as it is. I would love to talk to you. So how has your day been?' he queried amiably. She proceeded to relate her day to him, sparing no detail, eager to distract him from his burdens, if only for a short while.

Unfortunately, Hitomi was so distracted by her mental conversation, that she was hardly aware of her surroundings. As a result, she had no time to react when the sound of a blaring horn and screeching tires reached her ears and the smell of burning brakes assaulted her nose. She began to spin around, when an intense pain shot up her side and a immense force shoved her off the side of the road and off a steep ledge. As she plummeted down to the rushing waterway below, she screamed the only thing that filled her thoughts.

"VAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!"

In Fanalia, the blood curdling scream rang in Van's head and shook him to the core. He jolted out of his chair in terror, knocking it to the floor. "Hitomi!" he cried out into the stillness of his study. His knuckles were white on the desk as he waited for some response, but there was none, only an eerie silence that petrified him more than any scream ever could. Something was very wrong.

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Oh! Cliffhanger right off the bat! Exciting, huh? What's gonna happen? Tell me what you think! Thanks! 


	2. A Desperate Attempt

Here is the next chapter. Just a warning, this one is fairly dark and intense. Poor Van…

Disclaimer: I don't own Esca…WAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

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A moment later, Merle and a few of Van's advisors rushed in to see what had upset their king so. Merle's eyes widened as she looked at Van. He stood rigid in front of his desk, his knuckles white as they gripped the table, and his chair lay knocked to the floor behind him. His breathing was shaky, and his entire body seemed to tremble. His eyes, though, were the most haunting. They looked panicked and wild, almost as though there was a touch of madness overtaking them. Merle shivered at his disturbing appearance, which seemed more intense, closer to insanity then he had even been after he had slaughtered the Dragon Slayers. 

Van did not seem to even register their presence. He just stood, as rigid and immobile as a statue. Suddenly, he seemed to snap, and he spun towards the door, running out it and down the hall, shoving aside Merle and the advisors without so much as a second thought. He dashed toward a door at the end that opened up to a balcony. After Merle and the others had recovered, they took off after him, bewildered over what could have cause such a change in their gentle king. Merle had almost caught up to him, when he unceremoniously threw open the doors and bolted out across the balcony, jumping over the fence at the far end. As he did so, his magnificent white wings shot from his back, ripping his neglected shirt to tatters.

Van was deaf to Merle and his advisors calling out to him from the balcony as he shot into the sky, one single-minded thought driving him. He had to get to the Mystic Moon, to Hitomi, somehow. As he climbed into the sky, he hoped and waited for the blue pillar of light to appear that would take him to her. No matter how high he flew, however, it never appeared. He refused to relent, flying as high into the atmosphere as his wings would carry him. The air thinned around him and turned bitter cold against his bare skin as he pressed toward the glowing Mystic Moon that completely dominated his now blurring vision. His skin was clammy and he was struggling to breath, but he refused to surrender.

Merle and the advisors watch in horror as Van fought with the sky for nearly half an hour. At first, he managed to reach an astounding height, becoming naught but a speck in the sky to those below, but eventually his wings could no longer carry him forward, and he fought to hold his position. He refused to yield even as his body approached hypothermia, his wings began to gather ice, and his lungs nearly collapsed. Finally, though, his body could take no more. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he blacked out. His body plunged towards the ground, as Merle and the others watched in terror. Merle climbed down from the balcony and began to run to where it looked like Van would hit. As the ground rushed up to meet him, Van regained consciousness enough to attempt to slow himself down to land, but, though he did decrease his speed, it was not enough, and he hit the ground with a loud thud, before rolling in a mass of limbs a few feet from where he hit. As Merle ran through the trees towards the clearing he had landed in, she could hear the distinct, disturbing sound of bone cracking, causing her to wince.

The sight which met Merle's eyes as she entered the clearing caused her to stop dead. Van had somehow managed to land in a kneeling position about twenty feet away from her. He was covered in dirt, scratches and blood, and his skin seemed to carry a blue hue. His wings hung limp to the ground, ice still glistening from a few patches that it had yet to melt from, and the lower part of his right arm was bent in an unnatural angle, clearly broken. Van was panting and shuddering, but it was not from the pain. He was numb to it. After a moment, Merle realized he was crying. A soft, heart wrenching sound wafted through the air to her ears.

"Hitomi," he whispered, pleadingly, brokenly. "Hitomi," he called again and again in no more than a hopeless whisper. In a last desperate attempt he screamed, "Hitomi!", before the pain finally over took him, and he crumpled forward, unconscious. Merle, rushed over a caught him just before he hit the ground. Cradling him in her arms, her eyes stinging with tears, she whispered to his deaf ears, "Oh Van-sama, what happened?"

After first, everything around Van was enveloped in an all consuming darkness, and he could not seem to grasp onto any particular thought. Then suddenly, a pair of bright green eyes and a head of soft blonde hair flashed across his mind's eye. All the panic rushed back to him as he screamed out her name, jolting up right. The second that he did, spasms of intense pain shot through his body, almost causing him to vomit. He refused to lie back down though. He had to reach her.

"Your majesty, you must lay down. You are in no condition to be up." Van's vision finally began to focus on the room, his room. It took him but a moment to find the owner of the voice, a doctor who now stood beside his bed, immensely concerned.

"No," Van began to protest, wincing as his voice cracked, dry and raspy. The doctor stopped him from continuing.

"I know you are concerned, your majesty, but you can do nothing in your current condition. You have already almost killed yourself. It is a miracle that you are as well off as you are." He gestured towards Van. Van took this moment to look down at his battered body. He had bandages wrapped around his torso, and his arm was in a sling. Scratches and bruises decorated every part of his body.

The doctor continued, "Probably at least three broken ribs and broken arm, not to mention that you had reach the first stages of hypothermia. It is a miracle there was to damage to you internal organs." He sighed, "Please, you majesty, just rest." With that, he laid a hand on each of Van's shoulders to push him back down. Van was too weak and exhausted to resist. As he lay on the bed, the doctor asked him one question, "Your majesty, what happened?"

Van did not respond, merely turned his head to the side and squeezed his eyes shut fighting back the tears and the pain in his heart that far surpassed any physical pain. The doctor did not push for an answer, but rather, sat back in his chair and allowed his patient to rest. When the doctor's attention was no longer on him, a solitary tear found its way out from under his clenched eyelids and trailed down his cheek.

Van was not so easily subdued, though. Throughout the next week, he attempt twice more to reach the Mystic Moon, each time pushing his body into further regression. Finally, his spirit reached the level of brokenness that already overcame his body. He could do nothing. No matter how hard he tried, he could not reach her. No matter how strong his desire to protect her, he could not be there for her.

Merle watched Van quietly as he lay in his bed, gazing out the window at the Mystic Moon with hollow, empty eyes. His was broken and defeated. Merle's heart ached to seem him so lost. Merle crawled beside him on the bed carefully.

"Van-sama?" she queried cautiously. After a moment, the bed began to shake softly underneath her. Van was crying.

"I can't do anything, Merle," he murmured, his voice devoid of life. He was a defeated and broken man. Merle's heart swelled with sympathy for him, but she kept quiet, just listening to him. "I can't save her. I can't even talk to her. I claimed I would protect her, yet I cannot even get to her." His voice cracked, and it was a moment before he continued. When he did, his voice was tight with emotion. "Why did I let her leave, Merle? Why did I ever let her out of my sight? I love her so dearly. I don't know what I'll do if…" He could not continue the thought, and his entire body began to shudder under the strength of his broken weeping. Merle just sat beside him all night long, a comforting presence to help stave off the overwhelming loneliness and hopelessness that wanted to consume him.

Over the next couple of weeks, his body gradually healed, but his heart and spirit remained just a broken, if not more so. Van sunk into a dangerous depression, barely registering anything around him. His eyes held a soulless look that unnerved all who tried to speak with him. Though he was not aware of it, Fanalia was slowly beginning to fall apart under the apparent loss of the king they had so respected and loved.

Merle finally could not take it anymore. She knew he was hurting, but Fanalia was going to collapse on itself if she did not do something soon. Few had realized until now just how much they relied on the constant presence and encouragement of their strong, kind king.

It was not that difficult to find Van. He was sitting on the roof above his room, hugging his knees to himself, and watching the Mystic Moon hover in the sky. This was what he did almost constantly the last few days. Merle sighed, crawled over, and sat down next to him. He did nothing to acknowledge her presence. Merle started gently.

"Van-sama, I know you are sad and hurting, but you can't forget that you are a king. Fanalia needs you. It will fall apart if you don't do something soon." He did not react. She kept going, a bit more urgently.

"You have a responsibility to your people that comes before all personal matters. Have you forgotten that? What happened to the great, self-sacrificing king that you once were?" Still, there was no response. Merle was beginning to get angry.

"Van-sama! You really need to snap out of this! This is not the real you! This is not the great king of Fanalia! Do you really think that this is what Hitomi would want?!" The last comment seemed to cause him to cringe and pull tighter into himself, but there was still no change. Merle finally lost her temper and slapped him. They both sat, stunned for a moment. Then Van finally turned to look at her, eyes wide with shock. Merle made a final plea.

"Please, Van-sama, do not let the Fanalia that both you and Hitomi loved so much be lost because of this." That was enough. Van's eyes gained a more shielded, solemn look.

"You are right, Merle. I am sorry, I worried you so much. I will not fail Fanalia as I have Hitomi." With that, he rose and offered her a hand up. "Come, there is much work to be done." With that, they continued down together towards his advisors and the work that awaited them.

From that moment on, Van was guarded and serious. He worked hard and poured all he could into Fanalia, but his heart was closed off to everyone, even Merle. Van's heart was shattered, his spirit quenched, but he trudge on despite all, for the sake to the kingdom that trusted him.

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Well, there it is. I pity Van. I am such a cruel author. Well R&R please! Reviews Updates! 


	3. Who's Ayame?

Here is the next chapter. Tell me what you think. I'll try to update again soon. Reviews faster updates.

Disclaimer: I don't own esca…sob

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A girl with soft blonde hair shot up in an unfamiliar room. Her green eyes blinked around her in confusion. Nothing made sense. After a moment, a middle aged woman walked into the room and noticed her. She smiled. 

"Oh, so you are finally awake. I am so glad you are alright. My husband and I were so worried when we found you unconscious and half-drowned on the edge of the little river nearby, especially when we noticed that huge bruise on your side. Thankfully, you had no broken bones." The woman smiled warmly at her and came over to sit on the bed beside her. "By the way, my dear, what is your name? We could find no I.D. on you, so we had no idea where you were from. If you can tell me, I'll get you home as soon as possible."

The girl just blinked for a minute and then seemed even more confused. She frowned as she considered the question. Finally, with a soft, slightly scared tone, she murmured, "I don't know. I can't remember. I can't remember anything." After a moment, she could not take it anymore and started weeping into her hands. She was so lost and confused. Nothing made sense. What was going on? Why couldn't she remember anything. The woman, filled with compassion, wrapped her arms around the child.

"Oh, you poor thing. You must have amnesia. Don't worry darling, we will look after you until you can remember something. Ok?" She smiled slightly at the girl trying to encourage her. She just nodded, sniffling, into the woman's shoulder. "Well, let's see. I suppose we shall have to call you something. Hmmm…how about Ayame? That was my mother's name."

The newly dubbed Ayame just nodded. At least now she had a name, even if it wasn't her real one.

"Well, I suppose if you are going to be living with us than you should the family." A smile came to her face. "I have a son about your age. How about if we enroll you in high school with him? That would help you get out of the house a bit and not dwell on the issue. And maybe something will spark your memory." Again, Ayame just nodded mutely. "Wonderful," the woman continued. "Alright, then let me just go grab my son and husband and I'll introduce them to their new family member." With that, the woman swept towards the door. Just before she left, she looked over her shoulder and smiled again. "By the way, my name is Higurashi Miki. I'll be right back!" and she swept out the door.

Ayame sat on the bed, flustered. Questions filled her head but she could find no answer to them. Finally, she chose to push aside all thoughts and deal with the present. The past was closed to her and until something change, she had to focus on dealing with the present, one step at a time. She was very lucky that this family had found her. Miki-okaa-san seemed very kind. She was curious to meet the rest of the family. Steeling herself, she committed to making the best of this situation that she could. If she didn't, she would just sink into depression. She was stronger than that. So until she could remember, she would make the best of this situation.

A minute later, Miki reentered the room, ushering in two gentlemen, a kind-looking middle aged man that must have been her husband and a very handsome boy about her age, who she assumed was Miki's son. When he looked at her, she couldn't help but blush. He really was very attractive, and he had such friendly eyes. She felt immediately comfortable with them.

"This," Miki began, "is my husband, Shingo." She then turned toward her son, all smiles. "And this handsome fellow is my son, Yuki." Ayame smiled softly.

"Hello, Higurashi-san, Higurashi-kun," she greeted, unsure how to act. Shingo spoke first.

"No need to be so formal. We are going to be family after all, until you can find your own. Just consider me a surrogate father." He grinned at me. Yuki smiled at her, walking over to her and smiling into her eyes.

"And you can address me by my first name. None of this Higurashi stuff." He grinned a goofy, lopsided grin, and Ayame's heart felt much lighter just talked to him. "After all, we are practically gonna be family," he laughed, and to prove his point, he reached out and ruffled his hair with his hand. Ayame's eyes widen at the sudden familiarity, but for some reason, she found it comforting.

"Arigatou," she said softly.

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Short, I know…but I figured I would try to get something up. R&R 


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